Beet topper and harvester



Sept. 13, 1932. F. M. DAVIS 1,877,278

BEET TOPPER AND HARVESTER Filed June 0. 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 13, 1932. V s 1,877,278

BEET TOPPER AND HARVESTEH Filed June 30, 1930 5 Sheets-Shet 2 IN VEN TOR.

JAM 7 11344% W 9 WM Sept. 13, 1932. F. M. DAVIS 1,877,278

BEET TOPPER AND HARVES'I'ER Filed June 50, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 l N VEN TOR.

A TTORNEYS Sept. 13, 1932. F. M. DAVIS BEET TOPPER AND HARVESTER Filed June 50, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN VEN TOR.

JAM M,

M I TTORNEYS Sept. 13, 1932.

F. M. DAVIS BEET TOPPER AND HARVESTEB Filed June sd, 1930 s Shee ts-Shet 5 villillllrllrill INVENTOR.

TTORNEYS Patented Sept. 13, 1-932 PATENT OFFICE m! n. Dav-rs, or umwauxnn; wrscon'sm IBEE'J. TOPPEB AND Application filed June 3 0,

This invention relates to improvements in beet toppers and harvesters. It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a beet topper and harvester in which means are provided for folding and holding the tops ofthe beets in a position to permit easy severing of the tops from the beets. 1

A further object of the invention is to 10 provide a beet topper and harvester in which the angle of the device for severing the tops from the-beets may be easily adjusted while the machine is in conditions. A further object of the invention is to provide a beet topper and harvester in which the device for severing the to s from the beets is formed with means for eflecting the severed tops to one side of'thepath of travel of the machine to permit the simultaneous harvesting of the beets.

A further object of the invention is to pro-.

videa beet topper and harvester in which a means is provided for positively deflecting the of the beetgatherer. A further object of the invention is to rovide a beet topper and harvester in .w ch the device for severing the tops from the beets and the endless chain tractor device controlling the depth of the cutting may be elevated to an out of the way osition to persevered tops away from the path of travel mit traveling along the roa stoj'points of use.

vide a beet topper and harvester having means for digging the beets out of the ground after the tops have been removed and then cleaning the beets while they are being elevated to the receiving receptacle carried by the machine.

A further object of the vention is to .provide a beet topper and harvester in which an endless chain traction means automatically controls the vertical height of cut of the device for severing the tops from the beets. A further object of the invention is to provide a beet topper and harvester in which the elevating baskets and slotted trough are so combined as to roll the beets while being operation to meet varying equivalents thereof. T

A further object ofthe invention is pro-" lime 6-6 of Fig. 4;

1980. Serial No. 464,963.

elevated to clean all of the foreign matter therefrom.

.A further object of the invention is to provide a beet topper and harvester having various controls-for the difl'erent adjustments of the machine arranged in close proximity to the operators seat on the machine so they can be easily adjusted while the machine is in operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a beet topper and harvester which is of simple construction, is strong and durable and is well adapted for the purpose described.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved beettopper and harvester and its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims,zand all In the accompanying drawin the same referenc characters indicate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a side perspective view of the improved beet topper and harvester;

ig. 2 is a. similar view of the opposite side of-the machine; p

Fig. 3 is a top view of the beet topper and harvester;

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view thereof on a larger scale, taken on line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig.5 is a detail verticalsectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4; V Fig. 6 is a sectional detail View taken on 1 Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional detail view taken on a larger scale on line 77 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectional detail vie taken on line 88 of Fig. 7

Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional detail view taken on li e 99 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a vertical transverse sectional detail }view, taken on a larger scale, on line 1010 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. His 2'.- top detail view of the lower end i of the inclined trough.

Referring to the drawings the reference numeral 8 indicates the main frame of the topper and harvester, which at its forward 106 gs in which 70 is connected to the steering fork heads, ex

tends to a position adjacent the seat..

Positioned beneath and adjacent the medial forward portion of the frame is a pair of spaced depending brackets between which is j ournaled a pair of sprocket wheels 16 having a tractor type endless chain 17 journaled thereon. The rearwardly and downwardly extendin other end portion of the chain extends around a pair of sprocket wheels 18 which are journaled between and carried by rearwardly extending adjustable arms 19.

.Said arms 19 at their forward ends are pivotally connected to the lower end portions of the dependingbrackets 15- and are arranged to permit the rear end portion of the tractor chain to be adjusted vertically.

Rearwardly extending spaced arms 20 are pivotally connected to the brackets 15 above the pivotal connection of the adjustable arms 19'with said brackets. A short transverse shaft 21 is mounted in the outerends of the arms 20 and other link arms 22 pivotally connected to the short shaft 21 depend down wardly therefrom and are pivotally connected to the second transverse shaft 23 of the adjustable arms. The brackets, the adjust-' able arms, link arms and the depending arms form, in substance, a parallelogramconnection and support for the endless chain beet top holder to permit the rear end of the endless chain beet topholder to swing vertically. Rearwardly extending spaced arms 24 pivotally connected to and extending rearwardly from the second transverse shaft 21 have a third transverse shaft 25 mounted in their rear end portions. A cutter shaft yoke 26 pivotally connected to the third transverse shaft 25 extends downwardly rearwardly therefrom and has a cutter shaft 26' journaled therein which is provided wtih a disk cutter 27 at its lower end. Said cutter extends obliquely with respect to ahorizontal plane. A U-shaped link or bail 28 also pivotally connects the cutter shaft yoke 26 to the second transverse shaft 23. To yieldingly support the rearward end portion of the endless chain beet top holder and the disk cutter from the frame a coiled spring 29 connected at its lower end to theyoke 26 extends up wardly therefrom and at its upper end is attached to the short end of a control lever 30 fulcrumed on .the frame. The long end of the control lever 30 extends upwardly to a position-convenient for the operator controlling the machine. When the lever is in upright position-the holder and cutter are supported adjacent the ground and when the lever is in a horizontal position the parts mentioned will be in their upper position to rmit traveling over the road. To permit p acing the lever 30 in a convenient position for the operator the long end portion is fulcrumed on the transverse lever tube 30" and is offsetfrom the short end as indicated in Figs. 3 and 10 of the-drawings. The lever is provided with an ordinary spring dog which engages the rack teeth of a segmental bar 31 mounted on the frame.

The transverse blades of the endless chain holder are so shaped and pivoted to the carrying chains that in extending around the sprocket wheels 18, they will swing radially outwardly to better engage ,the tops of the beets and bend them forwardly and downwardly and to hold them in said position until cut by the disk cutter.

driving means for the mechanism of the machine and is rigidly connected to the rear axle 32 upon which is journaled a sprocket wheel 33 having a side clutch face 33'. A slidable clutch member 34 keyed on the shaft 32 is arranged to be moved into clutching engagement with the sprocket wheel 33 by the clutch lever 35 which is fulcrumed on the frame and. extends to a positionadjacent the seat 13.' A sprocket chain 36 extending around the sprocket wheel 33 and also upwardly at an.angle engages a sprocket wheel 37 mounted on a transverse shaft 38 journaled on the upper side portion of the frame 9. Another sprocket chain 39 extending around a sprocket wheel 40 which is mounted on the same transverse shaft 38 extends to and engages a smaller sprocket wheel 41 mounted on an intermediate transverse shaft 42 journaled beneath the frame 9. Said smaller sprocket wheel 41 is positioned on 42 intermediate the side members of the frame is mounted a larger sprocket wheel 43 which is engaged by a sprocket chain 44. The sprocket chain 44 extends around a smaller sprocket wheel 45 mounted on the shaft 46 to which the arms 20 are pivotally connected. The shaft 46 has a sprocket chain and wheel connection 47 with the shaft 48 upon which the endless chain sprocket wheels 16 are mounted and are driven thereby.

A double or two-connected-toget-her sprocket wheel 48' journaled on the short shaft 21 has a sprocket wheel and chain driving connection 49 with the shaft 46 and a similar connection 50 with the third transverse shaft 25. v Bevel gears 51 and 52 transmit motion from. the third transverse shaft 25 to the cutter shaft 26' and itsknife 2? in all positions of adj ustmentof the parts.

.To adjust theangle of the disk cutter with relation to the endless chain tractor, the shaft of the cutter is supported vby the parts 22, 24, 26 and-28 which in substance, form a pargram supportof the endless chain tractor before mentioned, and the arms 24 forming part of the cutter parallelogram are rigidly connected to the short shaft 21 which in turn is provided with an upstanding bifurcated arm 53 rigidly connected thereto. A nut 54'fulcrumed between the bifurcations is engaged by a-threaded. rod 55 and the forward portion of said rod extends through and is journaled in a pivot bearing 56 andat its forward end the rod is provided with a star gear 57 which is in mesh with a pin gear 57 to also permit a slidable engagement between the two. The pin gear 57 is mounted on the forward end of a jointed rod 58 and the rearward end of said rod. terminates in front of the operator and is formed with a cranked end 59 for. convenience in turning the same.

, severed by the cutterto one side 'ofthe line of'beets being topped and to one side of the of the deflector disk 61.

An inclined trough or chute having a pivotal connection 65' at its upper end to the rear portion of the frame 8, inclines downwardly and forwardly therefrom and at its forward end is formed with a horizontal bifurcated portion 66 having pointed ends for loosening and digging up the beets from the ground... The trough is formedwith herabove the trough65 is supported upon sprocket wheels and shafts 71 and 72 on a conveyor frame 73 which in turn is pivotal-1y connected at its upper end to the trough pivot 65. Said conveyor frame 73 is'formed in two sections 1 and of tubes which telescope each other to adjust the tensionof the conveyor chains 7 O.

To permit adjustment of the length of the frame the smaller tubes are formed-with spaced openings 73' for receiving pins 73." which are engaged by coiled springs surround the smaller tubes and are interposed between the pins 7 3" and the inner ends of the larger tubes of the conveyor frame to adjustablyand yieldingly hold the coiled springs 7 4. The i conveyor under tension. The lower portion of theconveyor frame is connected to the slottedportions of the side members 66' by pins 75 to permit free movement upwardly to a limited extent, when larger beets areengaged by the conveyor. The conveyor is provided with basket shaped wire flights 76 to engagethe beets and elevate them along the trough while permitting the dirt and other foreign matter to. sift through the basket flights and the perforations of the trough 65. The conveyor frame is provided with rollers 77 to support the upper stretch of the conveyor. v

A transverse countershaft 78 journaled begear 84 mounted ,on a longitudinally extending conveyor shaft 85. A rectangular beet receptacle 86 mounted on the rear end of the frame 8 extends around the longitudinal shaft '85 and also around a horizontal transverse conveyor87. Thetransverseconveyorextends ring-bone shaped openings or perforations the upper end portion of the basket fulcrumed on the shaft 30' for lifting the forward end of the perforated trough 65. This lever is also provided with an ordinary spring dog which engages the segmental rack 69 to hold the trough in adjusted position. An endless conveyor-70 positioned directly conveyor 70' to receive the beets discharged therefrom and move them towards the downwardly inclined fixed bottom portion 86 and to the side discharge opening 88 of the receptacle. Ahinged side cover 89 closes the side opening 88 and is held in closed position by a spring latch 89 andsaid latch is controlled from the operators'sea't by cranked rods and links 90 and 9 1to permit discharging the load to one side of the path of travelof the hark vester asdesired.v One of the cranked rods 90 i extends to a position adjacent tlie seat 13.

Deflector rods 92 positioned below the upi per end of the basket conveyor 7 9 and above the transverse conveyor 87 are. provided to prevent beets from dropping and lodging:

between the said parts.

Spaced guard rods 93 positioned above the basket conveyor 7 0 and extending around and,

beneath the upper end portion. of the basket conveyor prevent accidental contact with the endless chain tractor by virtue of its rear end coaction with the ground will move in a. clockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 4 and 7, thereby first bending the tops. of the beets forwardly and subsequently folding the tops back and holding them while the rotary cutter is severing the leaves or tops close to the upper ends of the beets. The deflector blade 61 will direct the cut tops to one side of the path vof travel of the machine. Simultane ously with this movement the forward bifurcated end'of the trough is being forced forwardly below the surface of the ground and serves to break u the ground between the cutter and the said trough end so that when the trough end reaches each-beet it will be easily dislodgedfrom the earth. The forked end of the trough will direct the beets into the path of travel of'the basket conveyor and said beets will be elevated thereby and while moving upwardly they will be rolled along the angularly slotted portions of the trough and the earth removed therefrom. The open formation of the wire baskets also aids in dislodging the dirt from the beets. When the to release the cover 89 and the weight of the beets will force the cover open-and the beets will be discharged from the receptacle as de- I sired. When discharged the cover will swing to closed position.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the beet topper and harvester is well adapted for the purpose described.

.What I claim as my invention is:

1. A beet topper and harvester, comprising a vehicle, an inclined slotted trough carried by the vehicle and having a lower for ward end portion for dislodging the beets from the ground, an endless means having open baskets coacting with the trough for elevating beets to the upper end portion of the trough, a receptacle carried by the vehicle for receiving the beets fromthe trough, and

means actuated by the: travel of the vehicle for rotating the endless means.

2 Abe-ct topper and harvester, comprising 7 a. vehicle, a cutter carried by the vehicle for severing the leaves from the beets, an in-- clined slotted trough carried by the vehicle and having a lower forward end portion extending toward andv movable in the path of travel of the cutter for dislodging the beets from the ground after removal of the tops by the cutter, an endless conveyor means having. wire basket flights coacting with the trough for engaging and elevating the dislodged beets to the upper end portion of the trough, a receptacle carried by the vehicle for receiving the I beets from the trough, and means actuated by the travel of the vehicle 'for rotating the cutter and the conveyor.

3. A beet topper and harvester, comprising a vehicle, a cutter for severing the leaves from the beets while the leaves are in folded position, an inclined slotted trough carried coacting with the trough for engaging and elevating the dislodged beetsto the upper end portion of the trough and for discharging the beets therefrom, a receptacle carried by the vehicle and positioned below the upper end of the trough, a conveyor within the re-- ceptacle for receiving the beets from the trough and moving them transversely to the discharge side of the receptacle,' and means actuated by the travel of'the vehicle for rotating the cutter and the conveyors.

4. A beet topper and harvester, comprising a vehicle having a seat, a disk cutter carried by said vehicle, means forraising and lowering the disk cutter, an inclined perforated trough carried by the vehicle and having a lower forward end portionextending toward and movable in the path 5r. travel of the cutter 'for dislodging the beets from the ground after removal of the tops by the cutter, an endless conveyor means having wire basket flights coacting with the slotted trough for engaging, cleaning and elevating the beets to the upper end portion of the trough to a point of discharge, a receptacle carried by the vehicle, a conveyor within the recep-- tacle for receiving and transversely moving beets discharged from the trough to a point of discharge, means for raising and lowering the lower end portion of the trough, and meansactuated by the travel of the vehicle for rotating the cutter and the conveyors.

5. A beet topper and harvester, comprising a vehicle, an obliquely extending disk cutter carried by said vehicle for severing the leaves from the beets while the leaves are in folded position, an inclined slotted trough carried flights coacting with the trough for engaging P and elevating the dislodged beets to the upper end portion of the trough, a receptacle carried by the vehicle for receiving the beets from the trough, and means actuated by the travel of the vehicle for rotating the cutter and the conveyor.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

FRANK M. DAVIS. 

